Health Care Assistant

The post holder will undertake a range of clinical and non-clinical duties within their level of competence, working under appropriate delegation and supervision from registered healthcare professionals. The HCA will contribute to health promotion, prevention, long-term condition management and the delivery of routine clinical services.

The post holder will work collaboratively with GPs, nurses, healthcare professionals, administrative colleagues and wider members of the multidisciplinary team to support high-quality patient care and effective practice delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical duties

The Healthcare Assistant may undertake the

following activities, subject to appropriate training, competency assessment,

phlebotomy and the safe collection, handling and processing of blood samples.

routine health checks and NHS Health Checks, where appropriately trained.

blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, height, weight and

BMI measurements.

blood glucose and HbA1c testing where appropriate and within competency.

Support

the monitoring and review of patients with long-term conditions as delegated by

the clinical team.

pre-diabetes and diabetes-related checks, including foot assessments, where

appropriately trained.

basic wound care and dressing changes within competence and according to agreed

clinical protocols.

ear irrigation/microsuction-related procedures where appropriately trained and

assessed as competent.

Administer

B12 injections where appropriately trained, competent and working under

appropriate clinical delegation.

the delivery of vaccination programmes, including flu vaccinations, where

appropriately trained, authorised and assessed as competent.

other vaccination activity as required and within the scope of training and

competence.

Process

and manage laboratory samples requested by GPs, nurses and other authorised

clinicians, ensuring correct identification, labelling, storage and

transportation.

clinical observations and other delegated investigations as requested by

registered healthcare professionals.

chaperoning duties in accordance with practice policy.

specific clinical activities for named patients where these have been

appropriately delegated, taught and assessed as competent.

Recognise

and appropriately escalate abnormal clinical findings, changes in a patient's

condition or concerns regarding their health and wellbeing.

Support

clinicians in the monitoring and surveillance of patients' health where

appropriate.

Patient

care and health promotion

Provide

patients with appropriate information and health promotion advice within the

scope of the role.

Encourage

patients to engage with preventative healthcare, screening, vaccination and

healthy lifestyle interventions.

Support

patients to understand the purpose of investigations and routine health checks,

escalating questions outside the HCA's scope to an appropriate clinician.

Recognise

barriers to accessing healthcare and raise these with the wider clinical team

where appropriate.

Promote a

positive, respectful and inclusive experience for all patients.

Infection

prevention and control

Work in

accordance with practice infection prevention and control policies and

procedures.

Maintain

high standards of hand hygiene and use appropriate personal protective

equipment.

Clean and

maintain clinical equipment in accordance with manufacturer guidance and local

policy.

Ensure

clinical environments and equipment are appropriately prepared before, during

and after patient care.

Dispose

of clinical waste and sharps safely and in accordance with practice policy.

Report

infection prevention and control concerns promptly to the appropriate person.

Equipment,

stock and clinical environment

Prepare

and maintain clinical rooms and equipment to ensure they are safe, clean and

appropriately stocked.

Clear,

clean and restock consulting and treatment rooms following patient contact.

Monitor

clinical consumables and report stock requirements.

Support

stock control and ordering of medical consumables as required.

Check

clinical equipment is maintained, calibrated and fit for purpose, reporting any

concerns promptly.

Support

the safe storage and maintenance of clinical equipment and supplies.

Safeguarding

and patient safety

Recognise

and appropriately escalate safeguarding concerns relating to adults and

children.

Follow

practice safeguarding policies and procedures and participate in safeguarding

training appropriate to the role.

Recognise

and report patient safety concerns, incidents, near misses and risks through

the appropriate reporting processes.

Maintain

awareness of professional boundaries and understand the limitations of the HCA

role.

Seek

advice and support from a registered healthcare professional whenever a

situation falls outside the post holder's competence or delegated

Documentation,

confidentiality and information governance

Maintain

accurate, contemporaneous and appropriate patient records in accordance with

practice procedures.

Record

clinical observations, investigations and interventions accurately within the

appropriate clinical system.

Maintain

patient confidentiality at all times and comply with information governance,

GDPR and data protection requirements.

Handle

patient information securely and only access information required to undertake

Ensure

relevant results, concerns or abnormal findings are communicated to the

appropriate clinician in a timely manner.

Home

visits and community working

Undertake

home visits where required and where the activity is appropriate to the role,

training and level of competence.

Follow

appropriate lone-working, health and safety and risk assessment procedures when

working away from the practice.

Escalate

concerns identified during home visits to the appropriate registered healthcare

professional.

Team

working and professional development

Work

effectively as part of the wider multidisciplinary primary care team.

Communicate

effectively with patients, carers, colleagues and other healthcare

professionals.

Primary Care Sheffield (PCS) is a not-for-profit healthcare organisation delivering NHS services across Sheffield, including primary care, community services and mental health. We work in partnership with NHS organisations, GP practices and local communities to break down barriers to different types of services and bring high-quality, accessible care closer to the places people live.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do, they shape how we work and how we treat one another, our values are to be innovative, open, person-centred, ambitious and empowering. We are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment where our people can develop, contribute ideas and make a meaningful difference to the patients and communities we serve.

PCS is a Disability Confident employer committed to a supportive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. If you need reasonable adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process, please let us know when you apply.

Your application is an opportunity to tell us about you. We encourage you to use your own words to describe your experience, achievements, and motivation. Whilst AI tools may be used to help structure or proofread your application, the content must be an authentic reflection of your own knowledge and experience with applications that include unedited AI-generated text such as placeholder wording, prompts or template instructions, automatically declined.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential: - Ability to work unsupervised; - Ability to use initiative and work independently; - Competent to undertake HCA; - Administration tasks

Desirable: - Wound Care, Suture removal /Clips; - Urinalysis; - Health Promotion; - Ear Irrigation

Skills and Competencies

Qualifications

Desirable: - Wound Management; - Vaccination training

Experience

Essential: - Working with people including those from different cultures and backgrounds

Desirable: - Experience of working in Primary care